Tampa Bay Rays' Ben Zobrist, Fernando Rodney Among 2025 Hall of Fame Ballot Newcomers

Ben Zobrist was one of the faces of the Tampa Bay Rays during their rebrand, while Fernando Rodney contended for AL Cy Young out of their bullpen in 2012.

Jul 3, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Ben Zobrist (18) in the field against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays don't have a ton of representation in Cooperstown, but they have a few alumni who are looking to change that this winter.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced the 2025 ballot for the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Monday, including both fresh faces and a handful of returnees. Utility man Ben Zobrist and relief pitcher Fernando Rodney both made the cut, representing the Rays in their first years of eligibility.

The other players who were added to the ballot alongside Zobrist and Rodney were Carlos González, Curtis Granderson, Félix Hernández, Adam Jones, Ian Kinsler, Russell Martin, Brian McCann, Dustin Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki and Troy Tulowitzki. There are also 14 players who earned at least 5% of the overall vote in 2024 who will get another shot in 2025: Billy Wagner, Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltrán, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramírez, Chase Utley, Omar Vizquel, Bobby Abreu, Jimmy Rollins, Andy Pettitte, Mark Buehrle, Francisco Rodriguez, Torii Hunter and David Wright.

Zobrist made his MLB debut when the Rays were still the Devil Rays, and he certainly didn't have a Hall of Fame-worthy start to his career. Between 2006 and 2007, Zobrist hit .200 with a .509 OPS and -1.7 WAR.

The moment the Rays rebranded and dropped the "Devil," Zobrist came to life. He helped the team reach the World Series in 2008, then became an All-Star and led the American League in WAR in 2009.

Zobrist played nine seasons in Tampa Bay, making two All-Star Games and earning MVP votes on three occasions. From 2009 to 2014, he hit .270 with an .801 OPS, averaging 17 home runs, 76 RBI, 16 stolen bases and a 6.0 WAR while manning seven different positions.

After his time with the Rays was done, Zobrist went on to win World Series titles with the Kansas City Royals in 2015 and the Chicago Cubs in 2016. He logged one more All-Star appearance in 2016, remained impactful in 2018, then retired in March 2020.

Zobrist finished his career batting .266 with 1,566 hits, 167 home runs, 768 RBI, 116 stolen bases, a .783 OPS, a 44.5 WAR and nearly as many walks as strikeouts. Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford are the only Rays position players with higher WARs and more games played than Zobrist.

Rodney was much more of a journeyman than Zobrist, but he did manage to put up his best season while he was in Tampa Bay.

The right-handed reliever spent eight years with the Detroit Tigers, then two with the Los Angeles Angels, before joining the Rays. Then, in 2012, Rodney posted a 0.60 ERA, 0.777 WHIP, 48 saves and a 3.7 WAR.

That production helped Rodney make his first of three All-Star appearances, on top of earning him a fifth-place finish in AL Cy Young voting and a 13th-place finish in AL MVP voting. He also debuted his iconic bow and arrow celebration that season.

Rodney went 5-4 with a 3.38 ERA, 1.335 WHIP, 37 saves and a 0.5 WAR in 2013 before continuing his career elsewhere. He would go on to pitch for the Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics and Washington Nationals just between 2014 and 2019.

While he would go on to continue pitching in Mexico, Rodney finished his MLB career with a 3.80 ERA, 1.373 WHIP and 7.4 WAR. His 327 saves rank No. 19 in league history.

The only Rays players currently in the Hall of Fame are Wade Boggs and Fred McGriff.

Boggs appeared in just 90 games for Tampa Bay before getting inducted in 2005. McGriff, who made it in 2023 thanks to the Contemporary Era Committee, spent roughly one-fifth of his career with the Rays.

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